


The Heart’s Potential

by angstbot



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-08
Updated: 2015-03-08
Packaged: 2018-03-17 00:05:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,119
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3507680
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/angstbot/pseuds/angstbot
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A little fic in response to the revelation about Emma’s heart in 412.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Heart’s Potential

**Author's Note:**

> Extrapolating from Emma’s heart having the greatest potential for darkness, and promo about the Queens of Darkness trying to corrupt her and a battle for Emma’s heart, one way that all might go down.

“You’ll never get her heart back before they drain it completely, dearies,” Rumpelstiltskin sneered from where they’d magically bound him in one of the sheriff’s station’s cells, defiant even after his co-conspirators had turned on him.

Looking up from Emma’s rapidly graying form, Regina growled, “If she dies, you die,” surprising herself.

“Regina!” Snow exclaimed suddenly. “I’ve got it! Split Hook’s heart. Like you did for Charming and me.” Her eternal optimism, usually so infuriating, was heaven-sent in this moment, filling the queen with affection for her former stepdaughter as their eyes held for a moment. Then they both turned to look at the pirate.

“Hold steady!” Hook objected, throwing hand and hook up as if to ward them off. “Do what, now?”

“Come on, Hook,” Charming said as he advanced on the other man, his voice as close to a growl as Regina had ever heard it. The shepherd-turned-prince’s hand was on the sword he insisted on carrying when things got dangerous, and his face was implacable. “Either you love my daughter or you don’t. Snow did it for me without a second thought.”

“Use mine!” Henry volunteered, breaking the standoff and drawing their attention.

“Absolutely not!” Regina insisted. “I won’t allow you to put yourself in danger, and neither would Emma.” She turned a hard look back to the pirate.

“Fine!” Hook grumbled, dropping his arms from their protective position and stepping into range. “Take it, Your Majesty.”

Too pressed for time to be gentle, the queen had the heart ripped from his chest in a split second.

“Does one ever get used to that?” he griped.

“Shut up,” she muttered under her breath as she tried to remember her hand motion from before. She could not afford to get this wrong. It had to work. Had to.

In the next moment the heart was halved, and Regina’s hands shook as she pressed the pieces into two chests.

And nothing happened. “It’s not working! Why isn’t it working?” The queen couldn’t quite understand the sheer panic and desperation she was experiencing at this moment as she looked at Hook, Snow, Rumpel, needing an explanation from someone, anyone.

Rumpelstiltskin cackled from the cell. “Because you can only share a heart when you love one another, dearie. And Hook only loves himself.”

In this moment, the queen was honestly not sure which of them she hated more as she threw the second half of Hook’s heart back at him as he sputtered objections and declarations of undying devotion. Let him get it back in.

“Now you have to use me!” Henry insisted.

“The answer is still no,” Regina said firmly. “Emma would never forgive me.”

“There is one other way,” the imp suggested.

“Spit it out!” Charming said, crossing the room and prodding him under the chin with his sword, and the queen fully approved of his quick recourse to violence this time. This was too urgent to be delayed by Rumpel’s usual weaselly way with words.

“Someone must sacrifice their own life, give Miss Swan their entire heart, of course,” the Dark One explained. When David’s sword dropped to his chest, he hurriedly added, “Willingly.”

“That’s it, then,” Regina said quietly.

“That’s what- Regina!” Snow protested when she realized the was queen holding her own heart. Regina noted absently that the glowing organ was much lighter than she remembered when she’d seen it last. Redemption, she supposed idly.

Henry grabbed her wrist, hard. He had gotten so big and strong. “Mom, no! There’s gotta be another way!”

Her little prince was not so little anymore. Almost a man now, really. She had done well. He could survive without her. With Emma. “There’s no time, Henry. And if you have to lose a mother today-” her voice broke.

“Tick tock, dearie,” Rumpel prompted.

Regina glared daggers at him, shoved her heart into the savior’s chest, pulled Henry close to her for her last moments, and waited to die.

“What’s goin’ on?” Emma slurred. “Mom?” She blinked, confused. “Henry? Regina?”

“Oh, Emma honey, I’m so sorry, Regina-”Snow began.

“Is totally fine,” Henry said, in awe.

“But-” Charming began, his eyes darting between them.

It was Rumpelstiltskin who realized first, his mind quickly making sense of it. “Two people can share a single heart if they love one another,” he said, full of glee. “Oh my, this is nearly worth losing out on my plan. The savior and the evil queen!” He broke off, laughing.

Regina found her eyes drawn inexorably to the blonde, who was a little pale but entirely alive. “Emma,” she breathed.

“Mom!” Henry exclaimed, his voice breaking. “She- you’re- she saved you. She gave you her heart,” the boy sputtered. “She was going to sacrifice herself to save you but you’re- both-” he said in a rush, and then he broke down, throwing himself at both of them.

His mothers collectively wrapped him up without a second thought, for family hugs were second nature to them by now. But this time their arms found each other behind his back, and their eyes met.

“You?” Emma asked, and for such a small word it was so heavy.

“It was the only way,” Regina said quickly, suddenly on edge, though she had no idea why.

“Couldn’t you split-” the savior began, her eyes instinctively seeking out her parents, who were holding each other, eyes wet.

“We already-” David said, gesturing vaguely between his chest and his wife’s. “And Henry-”

“No way,” the savior insisted immediately, looking at her son sternly as he pulled back. Regina thought he managed to look both noble and defiant, and it made her smile fondly. He was certainly their son.

“That’s what Regina said,” Snow noted, drawing their attention back to her. “But Emma, Hook- we tried-” she sighed. “It only works if you love each other.” Her mouth tightened. “I’m so sorry.”

“Hey, it makes sense,” the blonde shrugged. At her mother’s startled look, she scoffed, “What, you thought I loved him? Please. No offense,” she added to the man himself, as if she just realized he was in the room.

“None taken,” he said, though the queen could see that it pained him. “I’ll just show myself out and leave you to this family moment.”

Emma gave him a friendly, if tight smile, but then her eyes widened. “But- Regina,” she said, hesitantly, turning back to the queen. “Regina?”

The older woman’s breath caught as the blonde reached out and cupped her cheek, and she was real, and alive, and Regina wrapped her hand around the savior’s wrist to anchor herself as incredible relief surged through her again.

“Regina,” Emma smiled, and then she was pulling the queen into her arms.

**Author's Note:**

> Meant as a one-shot, but it does lend itself to continuation, so I might.


End file.
